Oh, Hi There.

Wow, it has been too long since I have written a post.  Track has started.  Actually, it started about a month ago.  I have had a good start to the season so far, except for the asthma and allergy problems.  My mile (1600) time is slowly decreasing and I am happy with my progress.  I still need to work on my 800 meter run.  Our team went to a big invitational last Saturday and I ran a 6:09 1600 and a 2:47 800.  My coaches were happy.  They expect a lot from me.  The workouts have been really brutal but I think that is what has made me a better runner.  My teammates are pressuring me to run fast and keep a solid/fast pace during practice.  I hope to be under six minutes in the mile race before the season ends.  After all, track is only conditioning for cross country, my first love.  There are going to be a few new runners on the cross country team next year and I need to stay on my toes to ensure a varsity spot.  Oh! I almost forgot! Swimming was okay, except for the part where my coach told me that I couldn't swim in the championships.  So, I swam all winter for nothing LOL.  Man, the wind is really stirring up a storm out there.  I have been sick for the last week so I am going to go get some rest.  And for all you music lovers out there, check out VersaEmerge.  They are incredible.

KEEP RUNNING.

~Amanda    

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas everyone!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday (: As for me, I got some great presents, running clothes being one of the things I got. You have to remember that Christmas is not all about the gifts, but it marks the day of our savior's birth. Jesus is the reason for the season!

The Rain

Rain.
It makes me sad.
The clouds are crying.
I can't go outside.
Which means I can't run.
My head is stuffed up with thoughts that I can't seem to shake.
I wish it would snow.
But I can't run in that white, fluffy stuff.
Come back Sun.
Come back.
Where did the light go?
All I see is
D
 A
  R
   K
    N
     E
      S
       S
         .

Music and Me

I can't live without music. What type of world would we live in if there wasn't a way to express ourselves through song? Music helps pass the time. It makes me happy when I hear the strum of a guitar or the beat of a drum. I'm more of an alternative/ rock type of girl, I don't listen to any of the crap that's overplayed on the radio. What happened to good old rock music? If  I could go back in time, I would go to the 1980s. That decade just rocked. (No pun intended.) All the music that is played on the radio today is just a bunch of washed up people who think they can sing. Well, thanks to all the technology that we have now fools us into thinking that they can sing. The truth is, about every artist sings though a special machine to change their voice to make them sound decent. What happened to the guitar and drums? All I hear is a bunch of repetitive beats and noises. Thankfully, we still have many great bands that have a singer, guitar player(s), bass player, and drummer. I like a lot of bands, so it would be hard for me to pick which one is my favorite. I love Paramore, Kings of Leon, My Chemical Romance, Coldplay, 30 Seconds to Mars, Lifehouse, The Killers, Linkin Park, and Jack Johnson. Those are just a few of my favorite bands.

I have a ritual, all cross country season, I had to listen to my iPod on the bus on the way to the meets. It was the same playlist of songs. It got me relaxed and ready for my race. It takes a lot more to mentally prepare yourself for running a race, and listening to music is the perfect way to do it. The music just kept me clam and over and over in my head I just repeated, "I can do this." It's harder than it sounds.

Unfortunalety, I was stupid and left my iPod on a desk in the library at school. It has been missing for two days and I have gone crazy without it. Luckily, a friend told me that a teacher might have it. Tomorrow I am going to hunt the teacher down and put my earbuds back into their rightful place, my ears.

I Need to go on a very LONG Run...

Can I just say that my life just became very sour. I feel like I just ran a mile and I am totally out of breath, which rarely happens. I was just minding my own business and a sneaky little throat germ just snuck up on me and has left me feeling pretty crappy these passed couple days. Plus, I found out that the dance at school has been postponed until Februrary. The dance was supposed to be on Friday. I also had a date to this dance. Ugg oh well...

I just need to go on a long run to sort out my emotions. When I run for about eight miles, my head is cleared and things just feel... they feel so right. I feel cleansed and renewed, my mind is out of the fog and I can get back to reality. Too bad I'm sick and can't run with a sore throat in the cold, if I did, it would just make things worse. Sometimes I just want to run away from everything and end up on the other side of the country. Wouldn't it be amazing to run straight across the country? I'm sure it would take weeks to do but I'm up for the challenge...

Regret

 I am sad. I made a stupid choice. I wish I hadn't done it, buy I did it anyway. I should have run indoor track. Instead, I decided to swim. Swimming is second nature for me (running being my first nature). I thought the best time to try swimming would be freshman year. Oh I learned my lesson alright. I thought swimming would be so much more. It's a shame because I felt more in shape during the summer swim season than I do now.  Sure swimming and running complement each other really well but I miss my friends from cross country. I miss my coaches, and I miss the pain of running. I miss the feeling that I'm working hard to keep up with my team members. Swimming is too easy. I need a challenge. This may not make sense to anyone who reads this but just think if you gave up something you love with your whole heart, how would you feel?

A Fresh Start

I'm still a little inexperienced on this whole "blogging" thing. I just let this blog sit with nothing exciting written here. Well that's going to change. I'm only a runner after all, haha, oh wait, that's corny. Anyway, I'm going to try to make my posts more timely. So from now on, I vow to make this a blog with meaning and purpose.

Since I never did write about the cross country season, I'll give you a quick recap. I ended up staring on J.V. and I worked my way up to being the sixth fastest runner on the team. Apparently it's a pretty big deal that a freshman makes varsity, but it just makes me want to work harder to the top spot.  My fastest time was 21:50. That is my pride and joy there. My goal for next fall is to crush that time. Deep down I know I can do it, I just need a little faith, trust, and running dust.